Reinforced molded heel construction



Feb. 28, 1967 F. M. Rom. 3,305,948

REINFORCED MOLDED HEEL CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct. 25, 1965 INVENTOR. FERNANDO M. RONCI ATTORNEY United States Patent ()fiice 3,305,948 REINFORCED MOLDED HEEL CONSTRUCTION Fernando M. Ronci, 584 Pleasant Valley Parkway, Providence, RI. 02908 Filed Oct. 23, 1965, Ser. No. 503,873 6 Claims. (Cl. 36-34) My present invention relates to the shoe making art and more particularly to a novel construction of a reinforced heel for a womans shoe.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a reinforced heel for a womans shoe having a great deal of strength and beauty.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a molded high heel which can be made extremely slender and still possess a great deal of strength.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a molded reinforced heel for a womans shoe having a replaceable tap construction.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a reniforced heel for a womans shoe which is simple in construction and easy and economical to manufacture and assemble.

With the above and other objects and advantageous features in view, my invention consists of a novel arrangement of parts, more fully disclosed in the detailed description following, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and more particularly defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a heel embodying my present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical section of the same taken on line 22 on FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a section of the narrow portion of the heel taken on line 33 on FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of the tap mounting.

FIG. 4a is a rear view of the assembled tap mounting shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view showing another construction of the tap mounting.

FIG. 6 is a transverse section through the lower end of the heel showing still another method of mounting the tap.

It has become fashionable to provide womans shoes with heels having extremely narrow shanks and popularly called spike heels. These heels are usually molded from plastic material and are provided with a central opening into which a dowel is hammered to reinforce the heel. It is also the common practice to provide the head of the dowel with means for engaging a tap. In some instances the tap is molded directly on to the dowel so that the dowel serves the dual function of holding the tap on the heel and reinforcing the heel. While these constructions are adequate, they will tend to break if the heel is made extremely narrow. The dowel becomes loosened and it is necessary to provide a considerable thickness of material around the dowel.

The present invention is designed to provide a reinforced plastic heel having a flattened rather than a rounded shape to provide a different and more pleasing appearance and which can be made extremely thin with little or no plastic material covering the reinforcing member. It is contemplated, in the present invention, that the reinforcing member be molded directly into the plastic heel so that the constant removal of the dowel which causes the loosening effect is completely eliminated. The present invention thus provides other means of holding the removable tap without disturbing the reinforcement of the heel.

Referring more in detail to the drawings embodying my invention the plastic heel of the present invention is molded in the conventional upper shape having a broad top heel seat surface 10 with the body portion 11 tapering sharply inwardly to an extremely narrow shank portion 12. To provide reinforcement I provide a hardened steel Strip member 13 which extends from the bottom of the heel to a point just short of the heel seat surface 10 as shown in FIG. 2. The strip 13 may be provided in any desirable widths and is approximately .075 inch in thickness. In one form, applicant has used a strip of metal inch in width .075 inch in thickness. Such a strip has a great deal of rigidity and when properly hardened, will easily support an average woman. The strip 13 is molded and embedded in the heel portion 11, the top end being provided with openings 14 to permit the plastic heel material to flow through the openings and cause an interlocking action. Any other interlocking action may be provided, for example using a T-shaped head to the strip 13. It is contemplated that there be an extremely rigid embedded connection between the top end of the strip 13 and the thicker portion 11 of the heel. Where the shank 12 becomes extremely thin it is merely necessary to provide suflicient material to coat and cover the steel. In some cases it may not even be necessary to extend the plastic material to the lower ends. The steel portion may be supplied with decorative openings or anodized in colors or covered with other materials. Where it is covered with plastic material it is merely necessary to provide approximately .020 inch of plastic material around the steel making the total width approximately inch plus .040 inch and the thickness at .075 inch plus .040 inch or a total of .115 inch with the plastic material.

The above described construction provides a heel with a flattened effect and of extreme thinness not possible with the round type of construction. To mount the tap to the heel any suitable method can be used. In the form illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4 inclusive I provide a molded tap 15 having a pair of spaced pins 16 extending from the upper surface. The pins 16 are molded directly into the tap and may be provided with any suitable shaped heads for interlocking with the material of the tap. This may be nylon, urethane, or any other suitable material. In this form the lower end of the strip 13 is constructed as illustrated in FIG. 4. Each lower corner is cut away at 17 to form a rectangular cut out portion having a central tongue 18. I now provide a pair of tubular members 19 of the same length as the cut out portions 17 and of the same Width as the cut out portions 17 so that they will fill the corners 17. The members 19 may be individually spot welded or otherwise joined to the lower corners 17. However, in the illustrated form the members 19 are formed by rolling the ends of a strip 20. Now the tongue portion 18 is positioned over the strip portion 20 and between the members 19 and the strip portion 20 is spot welded to the member 18 to lock the members 19 into proper position. The pins 16 are designed to tightly frictionally enter the tubular members 19 to hold the tap in place. The plastic material molded at the bottom end of the heel surrounds the tubular members 19 and the resilience of the plastic material permits the pins 16 to be forced into the members 19 which will uncoil against the action of the plastic material with a spring action to resiliently hold the pins tightly in position.

In the alternative form illustrated in FIG. 5, the strip 13 is made in the identical manner at the bottom end as the form shown in FIG. 4 and the tap 15 is also provided with the two pins 16. However in this form the pins are joined at the lower end at 21 to form an integral U-shaped member. Such a member will be easier to mold with the tap 15 and will ensure proper spacing of the pins 16. Furthermore with the mold material flow- Patented Feb. 28, 1967' ing over the member 21 the pins will be more permanently locked in position.

In the form illustrated in FIG. 6 the tap 15 is provided with pins 22 positioned in ofiFset relation to the axial line of the tap. The lower end of the strip 13 is not cut away but the opposite surfaces thereof are provided with arcuate grooves 23 and the mold material is formed with complementary grooves 24 which form openings into which the pins 22 can be pressed. The resilience of the plastic material at 24 will serve to frictionally engage the pins 22 and hold them in position. Any other form of attaching the tap may also be used. For example the tap may be provided with rectangular pins or a single rectangular pin which can enter a slot or slots in the bottom end of the strip 13. Note that the use of spaced pins prevents twisting of the tap which will always be properly aligned with the bottom of the heel.

It should be noted that the reinforcing strip 13 may be varied in dimensions and construction. Instead of a solid, hardened steel strip, it can be built up of two or more laminated layers. Another quick construction is to form a tube and then flatten the tube to form a strip of two layers. All of these constructions are designed to provide a thin strip with a maximum of strength.

The present invention thus contemplates the provision of an extremely narrow reinforced plastic heel in which the support for the wearer is the reinforcing strip, the material at the upper end of the heel extending downwardly merely for decorative effect. The tap may be attached to the bottom end of such a heel in various ways and the entire construction is extremely artistic in shape, decorative and yet extremely practical in strength afiorded to a plastic heel. Other advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to a person skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A reinforced high heel comprising a molded heel having a broad top heel seat portion tapering sharply inwardly to a narrow shank extending to the bottom of said heel, a thin, fiat, hardened steel strip having a uniform thickness throughout its entire length with its upper end molded into said top portion and extending downwardly through the heel to form a thin flat shank for said heel, and a tap mounted on the bottom of said heel, said tap having spaced pins, said heel being provided at the bottom end with spaced openings cooperating with the bottom end of said fiat strip for frictionally receiving said pins.

2. A heel as in claim 1, wherein the bottom end of said strip is cut out at the corners to form a central tongue portion, and a split tube is mounted in each of said corners for receiving said spaced pins.

3. A heel as in claim 1, wherein said pins are provided With interlocking portions molded into said tap to lock said pins in said tap.

4. A heel as in claim 2, wherein said split tubes are integrally connected by a thin strip, said strip being spot welded to said tongue portion.

5. A heel as in claim 4, wherein said pins are provided with interlocking portions molded into said tap to lock said pins in said tap.

6. A heel as in claim 5, wherein the upper end of said strip is provided with means for interlocking with said heel, and said heel material extending over said strip is a thin covering coat.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,734,288 2/1956 Phillips et al 36--36 2,840,928 7/1958 Bastable 3634 2,855,705 10/1958 Goodman 36--36 2,938,283 5/1960 Rotelli 3634 3,034,234 5/1962 Portelli 36-36 3,184,865 5/1965 Ronci 36-34 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

FRANK J. COHEN, Examiner.

H. H. HUNTER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A REINFORCED HIGH HEEL COMPRISING A MOLDED HEEL HAVING A BROAD TOP HEEL SEAT PORTION TAPERING SHARPLY INWARDLY TO A NARROW SHANK EXTENDING TO THE BOTTOM OF SAID HEEL, A THIN, FLAT, HARDENED STEEL STRIP HAVING A UNIFORM THICKNESS THROUGHOUT ITS ENTIRE LENGTH WITH ITS UPPER END MOLDED INTO SAID TOP PORTION AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY THROUGH THE HEEL TO FORM A THIN FLAT SHANK FOR SAID HEEL, AND A TAP MOUNTED ON THE BOTTOM OF SAID HEEL, SAID TAP HAVING SPACED PINS, SAID HEEL BEING PROVIDED AT THE BOTTOM END WITH SPACED OPENINGS COOPERATING WITH THE BOTTOM END OF SAID FLAT STRIP FOR FRICTIONALLY RECEIVING SAID PINS. 